Ocean Facts for Children

It
makes the Earth blue…

It
makes the Earth blue…

When you look at a globe, 70% of our planet
is covered with oceans. Humans are the most intelligent form of life on Earth,
but we can only live in 30% of it! The ocean is a mystery to us; there is still
so much about it that we need to discover. In fact, we know more about outer
space than what’s going on underneath the deep blue seas.

The ocean is where life started. There are
so many species that we are only starting to discover. At first, we thought
that there can be no life deep beneath the sea, since sunlight cannot reach it.
We were wrong. There are all kinds of life beneath the ocean! Life that doesn’t
require sunlight like we do. Fish and animals that live in environments where
we can’t go.

It’s wonderful to know that Life can exist
in different environments! Thousands of miles below the sea, it’s a different
world. It’s as alien to us as another planet… and yet, what happens to our
oceans affect those of us who live on land.

The
wonders of the Deep Blue Seas

Here are some cool ocean facts for
children:

There are 4 major Oceans: The
largest ocean on Earth is the Pacific Ocean. It covers 30% of the planet’s
surface. The Pacific Ocean has an estimated 25000 islands. Much more than the
other oceans combined. The Atlantic Ocean is the 2nd largest,
covering 21% of the Earth’s surface. The 3rd largest ocean is the
Indian Ocean. It covers around 14% of the planet and it is the warmest. The
smallest is the Arctic Ocean. During winter, it is almost completely covered in
ice.

In the year 2000, another ocean
was added – the Southern Ocean. It’s the body of water surrounding Antarctica.

The Earth also has smaller
bodies of water that are partly enclosed by land. These are the Seas. The 3
largest seas are the Caribbean Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the South China
Sea.

The presence of Oceans on Earth
makes our planet unique. No other planet has liquid water on it, like our
oceans. According to scientists, there used to be oceans in Mars… but they
evaporated millions of years ago.

25% of marine animals live in
the coral reefs… and 90% of sea life relies on the reefs for one reason or
another.

The largest coral reef is
located in Australia –The Great Barrier Reef.

The deepest on Earth can be
found in the Pacific Ocean. It’s called the Mariana Trench. It is around 10,900
meters deep!

The ocean is responsible for
the weather. The currents distribute heat around the planet and temperature
above the oceans creates clouds and winds.

The ocean tides rise and fall
twice a day. It is caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon.

How
are our Oceans today?

Our beautiful life giving ocean has a lot
of problems today… We are polluting it, global warming is causing the sea
levels to rise and the ocean is getting warmer. Some marine animals are in
danger of going extinct, such as the blue fin tuna and the whales.

Read about the different environmental
issues that are affecting our oceans. Visit The World Counts: Stories.
Knowing about the issues is the first step to finding a solution to the
problems. See where you can make a difference.